Take One For The Team
by onlyonekamui
Summary: After a battle, Duo risks his life for Heero...will Duo survive? Final chapter is up! Come R&R!
1. Take One For The Team, Prt 1

Take One for the Team  
  
Pt 1-  
  
The sound of bullets filled the hanger as Oz hunted down the five weary pilots. Carrier planes had been loaded with the Gundams and ready to go at a moment's notice.  
  
"We can't keep this up. I'm almost out of bullets!" Quatre had to yell over the gunfire.  
  
"If we can kill the power to the hanger, we might be able to escape while they are trying to get the lights back on!" Trowa fired, hitting one of the soldiers in the leg.  
  
"Any objections?" asked Heero, still shooting. None of them seemed to. "Duo?"  
  
"I'm all over it." Oz took steady aim, firing at a large electrical breaker. Sparks flew everywhere, soon making it extremely dark. Some dim light poured in from the moon outside, but not enough to help anyone see. The gunfire stopped and was replaced by the yells of soldiers.  
  
"Come on," Wufei whispered as they moved along. They would need to separate into two groups: Duo with Heero and Wufei with Trowa and Quatre. "See you at the base."  
  
The groups took off quietly, but didn't go completely unnoticed. Duo and Heero walked through a pale moon beam, one of Oz's men catching them. Quickly, he pulled two knives from his sides and began o follow 01.   
  
Duo stopped to make sure the others had gotten on board, before following his travel partner. As soon as he saw the engines begin to heat up, he began to go after 01. It was then he saw the shimmer of a blade heading in comrade's direction.  
  
"Damn it," he whispered as he ran towards them. He couldn't let Heero get hurt.   
  
Heero sat at the doorway to the dark entranceway. As the door slowly came down, Heero waited, not realizing the danger sneaking up behind him. The soldier made his way towards him, raising his blades high. To him, it seemed too easy. With great force he brought his hands down, making contact.   
  
Heero was pushed forward. Before he could turn around, a gun went off. Once he got around, he saw Duo in front of him, arm extended.   
  
"What the hell are you doing, Maxwell?!"  
  
"He was going…to follow us on board." His voice shook a bit, but nothing that worried him. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for 02 to follow him on board. Slowly, he made his way onto the ship. In the cabin, Heero began to turn everything on waiting for Duo to join him.   
  
"Come on, Maxwell! We need to leave now!"  
  
Duo stood outside the cockpit, breathing deeply. Sweat dripped down his nose as he gripped the doorway for support. He didn't have time to concentrate on the pain; he had to help his friend. Taking an even bigger breath, he walked and hurryingly sat down.   
  
"I'm all over this." He began to turn on the engines and pressed the sensor button for the runway lights. The plane took off at great speed, unable for anyone to stop it now.   
  
Not long after the plane departed, the lights from the emergency back-up flashed on. Oz stood in total disbelief that they had once again let those damn kids get away again.   
  
"Sir! Casassa has been shot!" Hastily, he moved to the young soldier's side. He had been shot in the abdomen and was gasping for breath.  
  
"Its okay, son. We're going to get you help."  
  
"S..sir. I eliminated one…of those Gundam brats. He won't make it too long now."  
  
"Good work soldier. You shall be promoted once you get well," he saluted him.   
  
"I got on each side…each side at once." With that he passed out and was taken off to a medical jeep. He had to admit, he was very impressed. It was then that he looked at the floor where the plane had once sat. Right where the door would have come down sat one knife in a large pool of semi-warm blood. Leading away were three bloody footprints then nothing. Where was the other dagger? Was it possible that the boy still had it in him upon departure?  
  
"The poor little bastard," the General said with a maniacal laugh.   
  
Sailing silently in the sky, the two knew they had gotten away successfully. Heero sat back in his chair, putting the plane on autopilot. He scratched his head and turned his attention to the boy sitting next to him. Duo was leaned back in the co-pilot's seat, eyes closed, head tilted towards the ceiling. He was a ghastly pale and seemed to be breathing quite shallowly.  
  
"What's wrong?" 01 asked. Duo turned his head in his direction, a devious smile across his face. Heero wasn't sure if he was hiding something or he was just happy to be out of that mess. 02 wasn't one for hand-to-face combat. "What are you? Scared?"  
  
"In a word, yes." He laughed, but not too long. Heero knew something was bugging him, but it still seemed to be quirky Duo. So again, he was not too concerned.   
  
"Well, I'm going to check up on a metal tear on Wing. You want me to check anything on Deathscythe?"  
  
"No. The scythe just needs to be recharged."  
  
A straight answer…from Maxwell?! Now he knew something was wrong.   
  
"Alright, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, I'm just tired. But thanks for worrying Mom." He turned his head and grinned. Heero only shook his head and left for the back chamber. Once he had left for the back chamber. Once he had left, Duo let out a pain filled moan. Moving to make himself more comfortable in the chair, he felt a large amount of warm stickiness. Not a good sign, he thought to himself. It was hot in there but that could have just been the fever. He couldn't be out of commission now; they needed him for the upcoming fight. Once they got to Sally's base, he would patch himself up. Just like he always did. Rest. He needed to…rest. Duo drifted into a well deserved sleep.  
  
"What's taking them so long? Did they get caught?" Wufei tried to get a hold of their cockpit, but to no avail.   
  
"No, they got out. They're just held up." Quatre shifted on the couch. His lower back was killing him. It had been for a few hours, bit it might have been from the fight.   
  
Trowa's eyes widened as he looked at the radar screen. "We have a carrier coming in. They're here." The anxiety in the room lifted as they headed out to greet them.   
  
Outside, Heero had already unloaded Wing Zero and was beginning to get Deathscythe off.  
  
"Where's Duo?" asked Trowa, opening the cargo bay. He'd thought Duo would be out first to tell them how they once again narrowly escaped death once again. But he was no where in sight.   
  
"He fell asleep on the way over. He must have really needed it because he looks like crap." Heero jumped down from 02's cabin. "Let him rest a few more minutes. I'm sure he'll be up in a few to eat anyways."  
  
The quartet walked back inside, Quatre a bit shaky at first. Trowa noticed and went to his friend's side.   
  
"You okay?" he asked a bit jokingly.  
  
"Yeah. I don't really know what that was." He let a small laugh escape his lips. How clumsy could he be? He must have tripped over himself. "Hey, the guys are waiting and I'm getting hungry."  
  
"Then shall we?" Without another thought, the two headed inside.   
  
"Dinner's ready!" came Sally from the kitchen area. The four of them moved to the table just realizing that their American friend was still not present.   
  
"Hey, Quatre, you want to go wake up Sleeping Beauty?" Heero glared over his shoulder at 04.   
  
"Sure. Save us some." Quickly he exited the room as to not keep them waiting. He headed out the front door towards the carrier. Once inside, he moved to the cockpit and headed to the co-pilot's chair.   
  
"Oh Duo! Time for…" he stopped placing his hands over his mouth. Duo wasn't in there, but a huge blood stain was. He then saw blood, dripped all along the floor. It was a bit warm, which meant that he had been this way awhile. Rushing out the door, he saw the knife lying by the open door. It too had been stained by 02's blood. That, however, was cold.   
  
"Duo!" He headed out the back towards the other exit. As Quatre approached the door, he noticed a bloody handprint on the door. "No." Slamming it open, he came upon a horrific sight. There lay Duo for who knows how long. His skin a pale white. Getting to his knees, he placed a gentle hand on 02's back. But he quickly drew back at his friend's pain-filled cry. It was when he brought his hand up, he knew. It was now a crimson shade.   
  
"What happened?! Who did this to you?!" Glassy amethyst eyes slowly opened to respond. His mouth moved but no words came out. His strength had completely left him and the feeling in his legs was diminishing. Quatre placed a hand on his comrade's forehead.   
  
"You're on fire! I have to get you help! Please, Duo, hang on!" With one last reassuring look, Quatre ran with every ounce of will in his body.   
  
The door to the dinning area slammed open, revealing 04 out of breath.   
  
"Duo's…bleeding…everywhere! We've got to help!" No one waited for him to calm down for the message was clear. Racing past him, they moved to their friend's side.   
  
"Oh my…" Sally brought a hand to her lips. Was that really that cheery, happy boy she knew? All she saw lying there was a ghost.  
  
"He was stabbed in the back. It must have been in the dark. Be careful." Heero got down to inspect the damage. Pulling up his shirt, he wait against Duo's screams of agony. What he saw was two large stab wounds. But what even made Heero cringe was that all of the skin below that was a purple/blue color.   
  
"He needs surgery now! The circulation to his legs has been cut off."  
  
Sally moved towards the medical wing while Wufei stepped in to pick him up. As he lifted him up, Duo again let out an agonizing cry. It was the most horrific thing they had ever heard. Quatre could see the pain in Heero's expression. Kneeling next to him, he spoke softly,  
  
"He's going to be okay now."  
  
"What can we do?" asked Trowa staring lost down the hallway.  
  
"Pray." Both boys turned at Heero's response.  
  
That was all they could do for now. 


	2. Take One For The Team, Prt 2

Take One For The Team  
  
Part 2-  
  
Silence was all that sat in the room. From time to time, the sound of a book's pages crackle could be heard. And it stayed this way for some time until finally, a soft groan caught 03's attention. He placed his book down on the nightstand and took the seat next to his comrade's bed. Placing a hand on his forehead, he then placed one on Duo's. There was still a slight fever. Grabbing the already damp cloth, Trowa soaked it in cold water and lightly placed in on 02's head.   
  
"Duo? Can you hear me?" he asked softly. Another groan and his head rolled in his direction. His large violet eyes opened to look into hazel ones. What was going on? His whole body felt like it had been run down.  
  
"Trowa?" Perhaps he could end this confusion.   
  
"Hey. You're going to be okay now." That didn't answer anything. To be honest, he didn't even remember what happened or where they were. The cloth was removed from his head and he could now focus on the pain in the lower portion of his back."What happened to you, Duo?"  
  
Closing his eyes to blink, 02's memories flashed to the darkness of the hanger and then…that feeling. Of cool steel ripping into you and then pulled out again, but not both. The warm sensation of your own blood leaking down his back, soaking his clothes so they stuck to his skin. Trying so hard to hold in screams of throbbing pain. Slowly, he opened up his eyes again, seeing Trowa staring at him, worried.   
  
"Back at the hanger, the bastard snuck up on me. Didn't think it was as bad as it looked. Guess that's why I'm not a doctor." He tried to laugh, but there was too much pain for that now. Clearing his dry throat, he motioned for the glass of water next to his bed. Trowa understood and gave it to him without hesitation.   
  
"Thank you," he said as he took a long drink. "So…mmmm…what's the damage report?"  
  
"Well, one of your kidneys was hit. You might piss a little blood for a day or so."  
  
"Lovely."  
  
"Yeah. Ha. Lots of blood loss and…" He stopped mid-sentence and trailed off. 03 was looking for the right words to explain. "At some point, the circulation to your legs was shut off. You might not be walking to well for awhile…sorry, Duo."  
  
"So that's what I get for being so damn stubborn. Just tell me one thing?"  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Did Heero freak when he saw me?" Trowa stared in confusion while letting a small laugh escape. "Hey, don't worry. I'll get over this so that I can get back to helping you guys."  
  
"Duo, you need to take it easy. We can handle ourselves. What we need you to do is relax and get back on your feet. Can you do that Maxwell?"  
  
"I'll see what I can do." Yawning, he sank down under the sheets. God, he was so weak right now and hated it. He was used to getting up and doing something. Not lying around being useless. Although right this second, he did not really care. His eye lids drooped and Trowa knew this was his time to leave. As Trowa moved to the light switch, Duo's shaky voice stopped him.  
  
"Leave it, please. Just for tonight."  
  
"Sure thing, get some rest.   
  
"Trowa? What's wrong? Is Duo…?" Quatre leaped off the couch to meet up with 03 in the doorway. Heero sat in a large chair in the corner or the room, his laptop on an end table. Wufei was catching a nap on the couch, but Quatre's outbreak brought him back to reality.   
  
"Don't worry, Quat. He woke up but he's asleep again." Trowa made his way over to the loveseat and collapsed, rubbing his eyes.   
  
"Did he tell you anything?" Three sets of eyes wandered over to 01 who was quite serious that he wanted an answer.   
  
"All I got was he got stabbed at the hanger. I'm not sure when and now he won't let me shut the lights off in his room. Duo! The kid lives at night!" It was true. He was always the one to shut the light off at night, even before most of them were ready. What really happened that night?  
  
"He's just not ready to tell us everything. Whatever happened that night scared him and obviously it's made him unsure of things. He'll snap out of it, I'm sure." Wufei headed to the kitchen to make himself some tea.   
  
He was right. Duo always bounced back in these types of situations. Later. Everything could be answered later.   
  
"Congratulations Lieutenant." The General saluted Casassa, then shook his hand. "You already have a mission. It involves the other four Gundam pilots. Hunt them down. Destroy them if you wish. You're to take their mobile suits unharmed, understood?"  
  
"Perfectly, sir." He saluted again, and then left the room. As the door closed behind him, worry set in. Had he gotten one of them, and if he did, was he dead? Only time would really tell. Right now, he needed to form a plan of action. It would be tricky trying to take out four Gundam pilots.   
  
"This should be interesting. But it can't be anything my troops won't be able to handle." He laughed to himself as he headed down the hallway towards his chambers.  
  
"Who's glaring at me? It can only be the one person I know like that…" Duo slowly opened his eyes to meet with Heero's curious gaze. "I know you too well."   
  
"Scary enough. How you feeling Maxwell?"  
  
"Like I was trampled by a Leo. Other than that, fine. How about you?"  
  
"Fine." Duo let out a sigh of relief. He had protected Heero once again. But he noticed a look he was given far too often. That question of how? why?   
  
"Remember I shoved you back in the hanger? It wasn't intentional; I had to get you out of the way of that Oz jerk. He could have killed you and I couldn't let that happen, so I stepped in. Bastard left one of those daggers in my back. We had a mission to complete and I couldn't just let you do things alone. So I sucked it up and…ta daa."  
  
"You really are foolish, aren't you Duo?" He leaned back in his seat, stunned.   
  
"What?"  
  
"You never think about yourself, only others. Damn it! You could have died and why? Because your feelings got in the way. You know as well as I do that the first rule of war is to get rid of your emotions. Your risk taking is foolish and you need to focus more. Do you know what I'm saying?"  
  
Looking around the room, Duo tried to take in what his partner was saying. Forget about his friends? Only fight for himself? Is that what they all thought? Maybe Trowa was right. Maybe he should take it easy.   
  
"Okay Heero…you guys win. I should take it easy from now on and not give a damn about the rest of you." Was that what he had said? Heero acted a bit surprised by the American's response.   
  
"Hold on. I didn't mean…"  
  
"But that's what you said Heero, so that must be what you meant. And maybe you're right. So, I'm going to sleep some more before I have my first torture session with Sally."  
  
"Then I'll leave if that's what you really want, Maxwell."  
  
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out…oh, wait. I don't care…" Closing his eyes, he exhaled deeply, having to pretend that he was following a friend's request. With slight confusion, Heero left Duo to sleep. What had just happened? Was it possible that what happened that night made Maxwell loose his will to fight? Did he really survive?   
  
Wufei came racing up the hall towards him, making 01 have to hide his weak point.   
  
"We just got a call-in that land troops are headed this way. They have exceptional radar which means a stealth act is out best bet."   
  
"Okay. We take the mission. I'll pilot Deathscythe so we can break into their lines." He went to go prepare when 05's strong grasp held his arm so that he couldn't move.  
  
"Don't you think you should ask Duo, before you go and use his Gundam?"  
  
"To be honest with you, Maxwell doesn't give a damn anymore. Come, we have to hurry." Breaking free of Wufei's grip, he moved down the hall with great speed. Duo? Not care? Now in his own state of confusion, the Shenlong pilot followed.   
  
Duo wasn't truly asleep yet. In fact he had heard the entire conversation. So it was true. If they could pilot his Gundam, then why was he fighting? It seemed to stick out that he wasn't really needed. That he might even just be in the way.   
  
"Hey, I can take a hint," he said to himself as he drifted off. "I should have seen it so much earlier."  
  
An hour later, four weary boys made their way back to their safe place. Sally was waiting for them as they docked in the hanger.   
  
"Hey, Sally, how's Duo doing?" Trowa jumped out of Heavyarms, stretching his stiffening body.   
  
"You guys need sleep. You haven't gotten any since Duo was brought in. Go on, he's fine. I was actually just about to go and wake him for his physical training. He has to start walking again so the circulation in his legs doesn't clot again."   
  
"I want to go see him. I haven't in a long time." Quatre walked over, a grateful smile on his face.   
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"He needs our support now more then ever. I want to return some of his favors."  
  
"Not like we'll be getting any from now on." The Japanese pilot slumped past them all, his brief comment disturbing a few of them.   
  
"He's going to be okay. As soon as he gets up and about again, Duo will be Duo again." Trowa was quite upset by Heero's comment. No one had changed and as soon as he was well, everything would be fine.   
  
"Maxwell said that he isn't going to give a damn about us anymore and as much as I don't want to believe it, I do because he never, not once, has lied to me. Something happened or someone said something that is making him act as he is. And when I find out…they will pay." Turning on his heel, Heero exited the hanger leaving the others in silence. He wanted to be alone for awhile. He had to remember what happened that night.   
  
"Heero!" Duo said as he ran through the dark hanger. The figure raised his blades high above his head. 'I'm not going to make it!' 02 thought as he ran full force. It was then he ran into 01, pushing him to the ground. And then…that sensation. Strikes of pain, then seeping, ooziness. Pulling his gun out and firing through his pain to protect his friend, who only yelled at him for being clumsy. How he might jeopardize the mission. Again, fighting screams of agony as he had to pull one of the daggers from his back. Would he die? As the world blacked out…  
  
"Duo, wake up." Slowly, his eyes open upon hearing Sally's soft, nurturing voice. Nightmares. "You ready to start moving?"  
  
"I'm in no rush to do anything for a group that doesn't need me." His words were cold but serious.   
  
"But…?"  
  
"GO AWAY! I just want to go on with life as it is now. Can't you guys understand that?!" He was getting upset, making his back begin to throb.   
  
"Okay. Tomorrow then. You're right, it is too soon." Turning up his morphine a little, she left the room, almost swearing she saw tears in his eyes. Quatre was waiting in the hall, eyes wide with worry.   
  
"What just happened?"  
  
"Heero was right. He's just stopped caring." Quatre started to become dizzy suddenly. His eyes watered and soon he found himself on his knees, crying. "Quatre!"  
  
"It'd Duo's emotions. The anger, defeat…great sadness. He won't…ex…press it." All of 02's emotions were coming out in Quatre. Torturing him.   
  
"I'm sorry, Quat." Duo rolled onto his side, back to the door, tears dampening his pillow.   
  
R&R!!! I won't post again till I have a minimum of 5 more reviews!! 


	3. Take One For The Team, Prt 3

Thank you all for your reviews! They are all greatly appreciated!! And to show my appreciation…gasp! shout outs to all of my adoring fans!  
  
Regina- I'm updating as fast as I can! I didn't expect so many reviews so quickly! Will Duo survive…maybe…maybe not…heh heh heh…evil grins and chuckles   
  
Guardian Arrow- Thanks, here is the third part!  
  
Duo-23- Heh, should we feel sorry for Duo or Quatre…the world may never know!  
  
Alevera- No worries about not understanding Gundam…reading fanfics is the first step to learning it! Yay! I love being on favorite author lists!  
  
foxhiei- I'm hurrying! Thanks for the heads-up about the double chapter!  
  
Ayani- thanks for the review…I can't tell you that Duo dies..oops! I mean…heh, you're just gonna have to read and find out!  
  
Kit- Aren't cliff hangers great? I love having this power!  
  
Ahanchan- No, reviewing twice doesn't count! Nice try…here's the next chapter!  
  
Dragonmaster- heh heh heh, I love these cliff hangers! But seriously, I know the feeling of searching and searching for a really good fanfic and then once you do find one, the author doesn't up date for a long time! Well, so I don't follow suit, here's the next chapter!  
  
Duosgirl02- I'll try to make Duo better but no promises!!  
  
A/N- Thank you for all of these reviews!! You all have made my day!! I feel sooo loved! Thanks again!!  
  
Take One For The Team  
  
Part 3-  
  
Quatre had exhausted himself into sleep, but still fought to calm down. Trowa sat next to him, rubbing his back to help him get along. The others only watched and waited until finally Quatre had completely relaxed.   
  
"What set him off?" asked Wufei in a soft whisper.  
  
"Duo started yelling and before I knew it, he had forced me back into the hallway. That's when I saw Quatre. What was that? Anxiety?"   
  
"Quatre is sensitive to other's emotions, especially ours. When we refuse to let our feelings out, he has to suffer with them. So, he's calmed down, which means Duo has too. I think it's time one of us finally got to the bottom of this." 05 removed himself for the room and headed down the hall. However, 04's mumbling drew their attention back towards him.   
  
"He must be having a bad dream," Trowa said, checking to see if he was asleep still.   
  
"Yeah, but who's?" 01 continued to gaze guiltily out the window.  
  
It was dark on the streets. For any seven-year-old, it would have been scary. But not for Duo. He loved the dark allies and stores. Plus, he always had his travel partner.   
  
"Come on, Solo. We have to get in here if we're gonna get food for the others." From behind his ears, he pulled out a small shard of metal and began to pick the lock.   
  
"How about I go first and you can watch my back?" Solo came and joined his buddy atop the mountain of crates. It was agreed and silently the two crept inside.   
  
The military base was heavily guarded and getting through unnoticed would be a trick.   
  
"How about this?" said Solo as he killed the lights. Some soldiers yelled and began to move from their posts to inspect the damage. "Watch this," he said as he dashed to an open crate. Quickly, he loaded the bag with food for the others, Duo still keeping watch. It was then he saw a soldier heading towards Solo, gun being drawn. Without hesitation he made his way over to his unsuspecting friend.   
  
The soldier fired, missing Solo as Duo pushed him to the ground. The bullet skimmed across his lower back, but never entered.   
  
Once outside, the two hid in a dumpster waiting for the soldiers to pass. When they knew it was safe, they began to laugh.  
  
"You okay, Duo?"  
  
"It stings like hell, but nothing serious. How about you?"  
  
"Let me see it."  
  
"No, I'm fine. What about you? Did you get hit?!" Duo had stopped laughing, his expression turning to concern.   
  
"I'm fine, thanks to you. I'll always be okay when you're looking out for me. Anyone would be. Don't ever lose that quality, okay? Promise to always look after your friends?" He placed his hand out for their secret handshake.   
  
"Promise," said Duo taking hold of it.   
  
Slowly, the young American's eyes opened, rubbing them to focus. As they did, he sensed the he was not alone in the room. Sitting in the chair next to his bed was 05, not making a sound.   
  
"Sleep well?" he asked kindly.  
  
"Yes. Thank you." Wufei may be the only one he could still consider a friend at that time.   
  
"Duo, what's eating at you? You know you can tell us anything. We just want to help you." His words were sincere and Duo could tell that he could trust him.   
  
"This has happened before, but not this seriously. It was back when I was on the streets…" He went on to explain everything in his dream and that day. "I've made a promise to always put my friends first. It's just the way I've always been. But it seems that you guys don't need me babying over you."  
  
"That doesn't mean we don't need you at all."  
  
"Right." His voice had turned cold again.   
  
"You make up the best part of this team. And your promise was to be there when your friends need you. Maxwell…we need you. I need you, your wit, and your aggravating charm." Maybe those weren't the best words, but they were true, and for a moment, he could have sworn the Duo Maxwell he knew had returned.   
  
"Go away," he whispered. Wufei hung his head and nodded.   
  
"I'll respect your wishes. Just promise me you'll think about what I said." Rising up, he took a small bow, and then left the room. At least one of their questions had been answered but that wouldn't explain why he was mad. Unless…what had the others said to him?  
  
In his room, Duo pulled the sheets away. Bending his knees up towards his chest, he winced, still in a bit of pain. He had not moved in hours. Everyone kept walking in on him. Throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, he shakily stood up, still greatly needing the bed for support. Letting go, he almost fell into the wall on the other side of the room. Come on, Maxwell! The faster you get better at this, the faster you can get the hell away from them! His thoughts were still cold and he hated it. Taking a seat in the chair next to him, he noticed the cane Sally had left leaning on the wall.   
  
"I'm so confused. You think you know people and they prove you wrong. What do I believe? They need me or they don't?" He hung his head and shook it slowly. Grabbing for the cane, he relied on it greatly for support. "Even if they don't want me, I have to be there for them. At least for now."   
  
Quatre woke up, stretching. He couldn't remember why he had fallen asleep and only came to the assumption that he needed it. Noticing he was alone, he swung his legs over the couch and moved out towards the hanger. That was more than likely where his comrades would be.   
  
This proved correct as he walked in to see them all working on the Gundams. Trowa was the first to notice his presence among them.   
  
"How'd you sleep?"  
  
"Alright. How's Duo doing?" This was given no response by any of them. Of course, no responses meant nothing good. "What…?!"  
  
"No, he's okay. Just stubborn." Heero cleaned his hands with a rag as he made his way over to 04.   
  
"He's not the only one," he shot back, slyly. Where did that come from? Was he connected with 02's emotions again? Heero was about to respond when an alarm sounded. A loud bang came at the door of the hanger.   
  
"We've got company!" Trowa jumped down from Heavyarms, pulling his gun out. The others followed suit.   
  
"Sally, sound the evacuation alarm. The only want us and the Gundams!" Wufei yelled to the control tower where Sally was positioned. She knew what she had to do. Soon the wail of the alarm filled the entire base.   
  
Duo, who was propped up against the door to his room, now heard the alarm sounding too. Should I go help? he asked himself. He pondered this as the alarm got louder. And then a voice in his head screamed at him, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! It was right. He had to help them.   
  
The door to the hanger blew open. As the dust cleared, the shimmer of 02's badges was made obvious. "Fire!" came a loud shout from their side.   
  
"Get into cover!" yelled Heero who ducked behind the leg of Deathscythe. The battle raged on, bullets flying everywhere until only a few remained standing. A Lieutenant and a few soldiers. Foolishly, the few charged them. At least it would not have been dumb if they still had ammunition.   
  
"We have to separate. With any luck, they'll send one or two after each of us. They won't be a problem to shake off." Quatre ducked back behind Sandrock as he fired his last round. Without another word, the four boys started down separate paths.   
  
Casassa stepped forward and gave each soldier a path to follow. "I will go after 01."   
  
Trowa ran around the corner into something. Falling on his back, he saw a hand outreached to him. Looking up, he saw it was Wufei.  
  
"It seems our hallways connected." The sound of the soldiers approaching echoed in the silence around them.   
  
"No point in guns anymore. We'll have to duke it out the old fashioned way." Trowa placed his gun behind him, while Wufei did the same. The two men came in each direction at the boys, they too out of bullets. Both seemed to have great fear of the two pilots. They began to back off as though the youths were 40 trained warriors. "Should we show mercy?"  
  
"In my clan, we break the necks of those that cower away in fear. This shouldn't be any different."   
  
In an instant, the two had struck, bringing the soldiers to their knees, unconscious. It was then they heard more footsteps. They readied themselves to fight again but this time, it was not the enemy.   
  
"Hey guys," 04 came running to them, slightly out of breath.   
  
"Where's the Oz soldier that was following you?"  
  
"Oh…um…my gun did have another bullet left. I thought I could play his bluff and I ended up shooting him in the leg." He grinned as he scratched the back of his head. But the others only worried more. Where had Heero and the other soldier gone? All three read each other's mind. Duo. Racing down the hall, they moved with great speed to the medical wing.   
  
The door to Shingami's bed chamber flew open, but much to the dismay, 02 was no where in sight. It was then all three heard the gunshot.   
  
"Heero."  
  
muahahahahaha!! Damn, I'm evil! Heh, will Heero survive?! I hope so! I need some more reviews to post! Tell your friends! The more reviews, the sooner you get the ending!! 


	4. Take One For The Team, Part 4

A/N-- Sorry about that, folks! Just couldn't help myself! I would do a shout out but you all said the same thing! And, without further adieu…the grand finale! Enjoy and review!  
  
Take One For The Team  
  
Prt 3b-  
  
The door to Shingami's bed chamber flew open; bit much to their dismay, 02 was no where in sight. It was then all three heard the gunshot.  
  
"Heero."  
  
Sliding against the wall, Heero tried to favor his now bleeding right leg. It was pitch black in the hall, making it impossible to see. He was completely out of bullets and had nothing to stop the blood from exiting his body onto the cold floor.   
  
"What's the matter 01? Scared that your buddy's not here to save you this time?" Another shot went off, but this did not hit him. It was only to make him paranoid. I wish Maxwell was here. I could use the back up. His thoughts were drifting as he blood continued to pool onto the floor. BANG!  
  
This shot grazed his cheek, fresh blood dribbling down his face. He was close. The sound of his gun registering for the next shot, most likely to kill. He would die. Even before he could tell Duo that he was sorry. But no shot was fired, only an echoed voice around them.   
  
"Leave him alone. If you don't want to go to hell, you will back away."  
  
"Who's there?" asked Casassa, paranoia in his voice.   
  
"Death. Care to see me? Experience me yourself?"   
  
Casassa raised his gun and nervously moved to see the one threatening him. "Come on you bastard! I'm not afraid of you!" He turned quickly, coming face-to-face with amethyst eyes that seemed to glow.   
  
"You should be." A gun went off as the Lieutenant's body fell lifeless to the unyielding floor. "Death is a scary thing."   
  
"Who's there?" Heero asked as he moved closer to the wall. Just then, three more figures came around the corner from behind him.   
  
"Heero? You okay?" Quatre went to his side while 03 and 05 stood in front.  
  
"I should be. Who's there?" he asked again.  
  
"Just as I said before Heero, Death." The other figure fell to the ground yelling.   
  
"Wait…Duo?!" Trowa ran to see and confirm that it was 02 at the other end of the hall.   
  
"Am I still useless?" he asked, eyes shut, taking deep breaths in a vain attempt to ignore the pain.   
  
"What? You never were. Where the hell did you get an idea like that?!"  
  
"The hallway? Your conversation about Deathscythe. If you can pilot it, you don't need me around."  
  
"I'll have you know, Duo Maxwell, that your Gundam is a royal pain in the ass to pilot. The controls are all over the place and only one person I know could run it, Duo. We need you."  
  
"Really?" he asked, opening his eyes slowly.  
  
"Yeah," the others said almost in unison.   
  
"Well…it feels good to be needed." It was then he saw Heero bleeding. "Holy shit! I'm not here for two seconds and you get yourself shot!!"   
  
A few weeks later, the Gundams had been loaded into their carriers to head off for yet another mission. Heero's leg had mended well and it was only a few minutes till take off.   
  
"Hey guys. I have something great to show you." Sally's voice filled the cockpit. Curiously, the four boys walked back into the hanger to see Duo standing on his own two feet.   
  
"I decided that havin' you guys always help me carry my ass around was getting old." He flashed one of his devious smiles and walked forward, not stumbling once. Everyone showed great excitement for him in their own way. Of course, he was still sore, but that was only natural after all he had been through. "Now, you sure you want me along?"  
  
"Look. Either you come as you are or in a body bag. It is your choice, Maxwell." Heero pulled his gun out and twirled it on his finger.   
  
"Yep. Definitely good to feel loved." With a quicker step in his pace, he moved off to join his comrades…no, his friends.  
  
End Transmission  
  
If you like this one, check out my other Gundam fanfics and remember-- Review!! Thanks for reading!! 


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